As a Christian community, called to peacemaking and reconciliation, we affirm that people of any race, ethnic identity, gender, who are gay or straight, of any ability, age, or economic status, are welcome to full participation in our congregation.
Micah decries prophets who cry peace when they have something to eat and declare war against those who put nothing in their mouth. Micah looks out at the justice system and announces his disgust: its rulers give judgments for a bribe, its priests teach for a price, its prophets give oracles for money. The mystery […]
Melissa spoke of St Ephrem who lived at the start of the fourth century. He was the son of poor farmers, falsely accused and imprisoned. When exonerated he makes his way to a monastery seeking solitude and a life devoted to writing poetry. But during a devastating famine he feels God calling him back to […]
On this fourth Sunday of Advent, Melissa spoke from 1 Samuel 1:19-28 and Matthew 1:18-25. Both Hannah and Mary faced incredible oppression and ridicule given their situations. But Elkanah and Joseph bear that shame along their wives. Elkanah and Joseph must both transgress the boundaries of their culture. These men recognize the power vested in […]
Elizabeth, herself pregnant, welcomes Mary and offers Mary a blessing. A blessing of resistance to the powers that be. … Read More →
In this final sermon in the fall series on gifts, Melissa preached from Matthew 3:13-17 and Acts 2:1-13. The holy spirit is somehow both a gift and a giver of gifts. One of the awkward parts about Jesus’ baptism is that Jesus does not need to be baptized. Jesus does not need to receive the […]
Melissa continues our fall series on gifts. The scripture from I Corinthians 12 focuses on the gifts that everyone brings to the benefit of the body of Christ. The things the world prizes as powerful–it’s easy to believe that we did that. That we worked hard. That we got that education. We built that skill […]
Melissa continues the series on gifts, this time speaking from Exodus 16:1-21 and Matthew 6:24-34. Jesus tells us that our lives are more than food and our bodies are more than clothing. Almost the entirety of Jesus’ time on earth is spent fixing and feeding and holding and weeping and walking and exorcising. So do […]
Scripture readings; Mathew 1:1-16 and Mathew 22:23-33 Matthew 1:1-16 recites Jesus genealogy ad nauseum. How many begets does it take to tie Jesus to the promise of David and Abraham? If we look closer, Jesus’ lineage is spotty; some ancestors are extraordinarily holy and brave others extraordinarily awful. All shape Jesus and Christianity. The same […]
Scripture – Luke 10:30-37 Those of us who grew up in the church have heard the story of the Good Samaritan many times. In this continuing series on gifts, Melissa draws fresh insights from the story.
The scripture today from Isaiah 1:1-20 is a prophecy or indictment of those who have much, of those who have excess. It speaks to those who have more than enough with not attending to the needs of the poorest among them. It’s no secret that our air, land and waters face a devastating century, and […]
Scripture: Leviticus 1:1-9 and 14-17 The message begins with Rosene telling a story of a favorite gift she received. This first account of offerings in Leviticus is simply about being a gift, not something to clear feelings of guilt or forgive sins. Its only purpose is for the pleasure of and enjoyment of God. Melissa […]
Melissa continues the series on gifts with the story from Genesis 32 about Jacob meeting his brother Esau after battling with someone all night long. There are parallels between this story and that of Cain and Abel from a few weeks ago. Jacob is under the impression that he can buy anything he wants if […]
Scripture: Genesis 4:1-16 Cain and Abel gave gifts to God, but they were not gifts for them to give since all they have is already from God. When we hear that God had regard for Abel’s gift of animal parts, but no regard for Cain’s gift of fruit of the land we might ask ourselves, […]
Scripture: Genesis 1 & 2 Melissa began her message by sharing the video “Manoomin: Food That Grows on the Water” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eOz8CPW0m0]. The audio is included in this recording. For the Anishinaabe creation is a gift. But it’s also a gift that forms a bond not just between giver and receiver, but between creatures. The concept of […]
Scripture: John 1 This Sunday we launched a new series on Gifts. The recording starts with a reading from John 1 by Elizabeth and Jackie, then Melissa launches into a story from her early childhood. We want gifts to be unconditional, with no strings attached. But that’s almost impossible for us to accomplish. Human gifts […]
Scripture: John 6:56-69 Melissa reminds us that a lot of what Jesus did during his ministry on earth pushed all sorts of boundaries. At times he was downright offensive. The people on the other side of Jesus’ offenses are those who had lost their bearing. Following Jesus is not an orderly set of rules. Rather, […]
Scripture: John 6:51-58 Our English translation of the text for today’s sermon doesn’t quite get at the graphicness of the passage. “If you do not ‘gnaw on the body of Christ and drink his blood, you have no life in you,” is a more accurate translation from the Greek. Whatever spiritualizing we want to bring […]
Scripture: Psalm 66 This Sunday marked the first time meeting in person since March 2020, and the first time together at Shepherd’s Hall, where we are sharing space with Church of the Good Shepherd in downtown Raleigh. As people who are trying to follow the teachings of Jesus, we don’t have to make the kingdom […]
Scripture: 2 Samuel 11:1-12:13 Melissa tackles this difficult passage about the sexual violence carried out by a powerful king, the kind of king that God had warned the Israelites about when they had cried out for someone to rule over them. There’s something else for us to learn about the structure of sexual violence in […]
Scripture: Mark 6:34-56 Melissa’s sermon recounts this passage from Mark in three parts, focusing on Jesus meeting the disciples on the lake as they were struggling to row against a strong headwind. Jesus repeatedly meets the disciples in the midst of their exhaustion. He repeatedly knew their needs before they themselves knew them. Just as […]
Scripture: Acts 2:1-21 On this Pentecost Sunday Melissa told a story about the sanctuaries in wooded areas called hush harbors where enslaved people would gather to worship in freedom, away from their enslavers and overseers. Pentecost is not a call to action. It’s a description of the Spirit’s work. What have we become as the […]
Scripture: Ephesians 1:15-23 & I John 5:9-13 It’s Ascension Sunday though Jesus’ ascension is actually commemorated on a Thursday on the church calendar. Interestingly, that’s one of the few days of the year that Amish and Old Order Mennonites take time off from work. For them it’s a time to remember those who were left […]
Scripture: Psalm 27: 1-5 & 1 John 4: 7-21 When we depend on a set of rules to live our lives we see ourselves as creatures who can determine our own goodness, instead of what we actually are, which is recipients of grace. As creatures of grace we are confronted by our inability to love […]
Scripture: I John 3:16-24 Melissa preached for the first time from our new meeting space at Church of the Good Shepherd in downtown Raleigh while most of us were still tuning in via Zoom. Following Jesus isn’t about fancy beliefs, personal piety or a checklist of beliefs. Whenever we have the ability to aid one […]
